NEW ON DVD: 'In Time', 'Drive'

"In Time" poses the intriguing but ultimately wasted premise: in 2161, once a person reaches the age of 25, they will no longer age. The catch is that you are given one year left to live. You can add time to your life by earning it or stealing it; time has replaced money as currency.

One's worth is represented by a 13-digit digital clock embedded under the skin on every citizen's left wrist. The numbers brightly display exactly how long its owner has to live. Some are rich and will live centuries. Most are poor and wonder if they will see the next day. Everyone is young and beautiful.

With little explanation as to why the world is the way it is, we are introduced to Will (Justin Timberlake). Two things happen that change his life; his mother "times out" and a wealthy stranger gives Will over 100 years before committing suicide.

The film changes tempo when Will meets the daughter of a powerful banker (Amanda Seyfreid) and they commit a string of bank robberies. They steal time and give it away to the poor. The vague economy of the film sounds similar to our own and scenes near the end resemble Occupy Wall Street marches.

Timberlake is good in the role of Will, as is Cillian Murphy who plays a "Timekeeper" charged with chasing the two criminals down. Sadly, the story lacks direction and falls flat once Will decides to become Robin Hood.

[Article continues below]

"In Time" has been rated "PG-13" for violent action and a dystopian atmosphere. DVD and Blu-ray copies are available today to rent or buy.

Directed by Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, "Drive" is a neo-noir packed with artfully shot violence and a compelling gallery of sinners and innocents. Refn, for his first American made production, was awarded the Best Director prize for "Drive" at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, against stiff competition.

Ryan Gosling stars as a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for anyone willing to pay. Gosling's unnamed driver also works at a garage owned by his friend Shannon (Bryan Cranston), and he has a crush on his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) who is a single mother. Irene's husband Standard, the father of her young son, is currently in prison.

The driver feels a chivalric duty to look after them, but everything changes when Irene's husband comes home, introducing some dangerous baggage into their lives. We are introduced to a scary pair of mobsters named Barry Rose (Albert Brooks) and Nico (Ron Perlman).

Brooks owns each scene he appears in; his frightening portrayal makes you forget his bread and butter is comedy.

Sporting leather driving gloves and a white satin jacket emblazoned with a scorpion, Gosling gives a minimalist performance that's reminiscent of Robert De Niro in "Taxi Driver". Similarities to that film go beyond Gosling's acting.

The simple plot is pressed forward by top-notch acting from the whole cast, a hypnotizing musical score and a pitch-black atmosphere.

"Drive" has been rated "R" for shockingly brutal and bloody violence. DVD and Blu-ray copies are available today to rent or buy.